Who is eligible for Graduate Membership?

Unless the Board decides otherwise, a Graduate Member must hold a qualification in engineering or technology recognised by the IPENZ Board that conforms to accepted international standards in engineering education.  In practical terms this means:

1. A Washington Accord accredited qualification (or formally assessed equivalent)
   or
2. A Sydney Accord accredited qualification (or formally assessed equivalent)
   or
3. A Dublin Accord accredited qualification (or formally assessed equivalent), or a recognised 2 year Engineering Diploma programme from a NZ tertiary institution
   or
4. Have completed at least 2 years of credible engineering study at level 6 or beyond, as assessed by IPENZ.

IPENZ will review the qualifications of all applicants for Graduate Membership against the academic requirements listed above. 

IPENZ is a signatory to both the Washington Accord and Sydney Accord and operates an accreditation system that leads to recognition of New Zealand degree programmes under these two agreements.  Lists of New Zealand qualifications that are recognised by IPENZ under each of these accords can be accessed on our website:  http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/Education_Career/accreditation/

Lists of international signatories to each of the Accords, and links to listings of accredited programmes, can be found at: www.ieagreements.com.  Australia, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, USA, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Ireland are signatories to at least one of these agreements.

Decisions on applicants with New Zealand qualifications that are not recognised under one of these accords are made on a case by case basis.

Overseas Qualifications

IPENZ will look to use its national and international networks and established precedents in coming to a decision on overseas qualifications.

New Zealand Qualifications Authority Assessment
Applicants with overseas qualifications may have been required to undertake a New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) qualification assessment for Immigration purposes. If a qualification assessment by NZQA has been required then the outcome of that assessment should be provided as part of the Membership application.

 University Qualification Assessment
If you have an undergraduate degree from overseas, but have then completed a post-graduate course at a NZ university or polytechnic that offers an IPENZ accredited engineering degree, you can ask the university/polytechnic to review your qualifications to assess how your combination of qualifications relates to an IPENZ accredited engineering qualification.  This letter of assessment needs to accompany your application form.

Non engineering qualifications
Applicants who do not satisfy the qualification requirements set out above, will be offered election to Affiliate Membership of IPENZ.  Affiliate Members who are employed in an engineering technician, engineering technologist or professional engineering role and who can present a planned programme of knowledge development that is supported by their employer will be able to access the Competence Development Programme.